二重 (èrchóng): double

Meanings

1 double
2 twofold
3 dual

Characters

二

layer / fold / repetition

Examples

他过着二重身份的生活。

Tā guòzhe èrchóng shēnfèn de shēnghuó.

He leads a double-identity life.

二重唱由男高音和女高音组成。

Èrchóngchàng yóu nán gāoyīn hé nǚ gāoyīn zǔchéng.

The duet is made up of a tenor and a soprano.

Tips

usage

二重 is a productive prefix: 二重唱 (èrchóngchàng, vocal duet), 二重奏 (èrchóngzòu, instrumental duet), 二重性 (èrchóngxìng, dual nature/duality), 二重国籍 (èrchóng guójí, dual nationality). 重 here is read chóng (repeat/layer), not zhòng (heavy).

mistakes

Don't read it as èrzhòng. The character 重 has two readings: chóng = layer/repeat (this word) vs zhòng = heavy. 二重 always uses chóng.